Shank for boots and shoes



A. M. MOORE SHANK FOR BOOTS AND SHOES .Filed Feb. '7, 1921 Inveni/ow:

dig edMMoore. 19 W, v c1217 f Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

um stares -5AJZFEED ivr.*ivrooan,or-=ra.ar.nnr-r, nassnenosnrrrs,ASSIGNOR- T0 orrns'rnnivr. noose, or WAKEFIELD, arassncnosnrrs, DOINGBUSINESS As MOORE a COMPANY, or

EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

"SHANK FOB/ BOOTS AND SHOES.

Application filed February 7, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED M. lVIoonn, a citizen of theUnit-ed States,and resident of Maiden, county of Middlesex, and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Shanks for Boots andShoes,'of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on thedrawings representing like parts.

This inventionrelates to shanks for boots and shoes. Its object is toprovide an improved shank having, among others, the advantageshereinafter pointed out and described.

In the drawings of one embodiment of my invention described herein:

Fig. 1 is a plan;

Fig. 2, a bottom view;

Fig. 3, a longitudinal section on the line 3s, Fig. 1

Fig; 4, a plan of a modified form of the shank; and 7 Figs. 5 and 6,plans of still further modifications, I

Referring to the drawings, the shank body 1 is made of any suitablematerial asleather, l-eatherboard, etc., and fashioned generally, inoutline, to suit the particular style of shoe for which it is intended.

Commonly, see Fig. 1, it comprises a slender curved section 2 known asthe waist of the shank provided in turn with a relatively narrow rearend 3 to overlie the forward edge of the heel and a wider forward end 4which overlies the rear end of the sole. Usually the body 1 has butlittle stiffness or rigidity of its own and this stiffness is suppliedby a stiffening or reinforcing member 55, sometimes termed a reinforcingmember which is conveniently secured to the body 1. This member 5 ispreferably more or less resilient to allow it to accommodate itselfsomewhat to the movement of the foot.

As stated, the body 1 commonly has little, if any, stiffness orsupporting strength of its own, but acts as a filler between the innerand outer sol-es and more or less to give symmetry to the shank of theshoe. Consequently the body member has a tendency to flatten out, sagand consequently to deform the shank or arch of the shoe as soon as theweight of the foot is placed upon it. To assist in retaining the curvedor arched Serial No. 442,905.

form of the body member is one object to be accomplished by securing toit the rein-- forcing member 5. For securing themember 5 to the body 1quickly, inexpensively and positively, I have conceived the novel construction disclosed herein.

The member 5, Fig. 1, which is'preferabl-y a more or less stifi springmember isprovided by drilling, with two or more apertures 6 properlyspaced, and it is thensecured to the body member 1 at the proper point,as approximately the longitudinal center of the waist section, bysuitable means. I preferably secure the two members, see Fig. 2, byametallic staple or fastening member 7, the legs of which are passedthrough the apertures 6, then driven through the body 1 and clinchedover against the lower face thereof.

The staple 7 retains the stiffener always in the proper position on thebody '1, both longitudinally and laterally, and, What is very important,the staple serves to 'hold the more or less collapsible body archedupwardly close against the member 5, so'that the archof theinstepisalways in proper, elevated position, both for support to thefoot and appearance of the shoe. The staple 7, and particularly whenposition as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, prevents pivotal or rotative movementof the member 5 with respect to the body t. The long portion of thestaple 7 permits the two ends thereof to be passed through the member 5at points relatively remote from each other, so as to resist torsionalmovement.

This means of securing the two members effected by a one step operation,is quickly and inexpensively done and is permanent. Furthermore, theends of the stiffener being free to move longitudinally somewhat,relative to the body 1, more resiliency is available for use underpressure of the foot.

Heretofore stiffeners or reinforcing members have been mounted on theshank body in various ways, for instance, by tacking each end of thestiffener to the body, also by securing each end of the stiffener to thebody by staples positioned crosswise on the stiffener ends. In each ofthe cases mentioned however, the body and stiffener are relatively freeto move or separate vertically between their ends, or at the waistsections.

1 su h case, the arch of the body member usually collapses" quickly,deforming the boot shank so that it is not only very noticeable, butalso uncomfortable.

The collapse of the shank body in such cases is due to the fact that thebody yields downwardly with the stifiener above it when under pressurebut, having no resiliency of its own, fails to return to its archedposition again when the pressure is removed, while the stifiener, owingto its resiliency does return to its normal position. Sometimes theshank body 5 collapses owing to the moisture which reaches and softensit.

Another objection to the securing of the two members by tacking the endswhich is avoided by my novel construction, is the insecure fastening ofthe ends by improperly driven tacks. When they are driven crooked or notdriven entirely in, the tacks quickly loosen up and the shank is thenuseless.

The expense of manually driving the tacks is much more than that ofdriving and clinching the staple, the former requiring, as it does, twooperations.

There is still another objection to the method of fastening thereinforcing menr her and body by securing them at their ends. In suchcase when the stiffener yields downwardly under pressure of the foot thetendency is to stretch the body lengthwise or even pull it apart at thewaist, in which case it is certain to collapse.

In Fig. 4: I illustrate a modified form of shank body with the stiffenerextended rearwardly of the end of the body so that it can be tacked tothe innersole.

In. Figs. 5 and 6 are shown still further modified forms of my inventionwherein the staple is placed crosswise 0f the stiffener, in

the'case of Fig. 6 one leg only being extended through the stiffener.

Having described one embodiment of my invention which is not limitedhowever, to the precise form illustrated, I claim:

1. A shank stiffener comprising a. body narrow at the waist andgradually increasing in width toward its heel and forward ends, and aspring member parallel sided and markedly narrower throughout than thenarrowest portion of the shank body, and a single staple positionedlengthwise said spring member and of a length substantially exceedingthe width of the spring member and penetrating the latter and said bodyat points at the waist only, relatively remote from each otherso aseffectively to resist torsional or turning movement of said springmember and said body, said spring member being wholly unattached to saidbody except ing by said staple, whereby relatively free movement ispermitted of the ends of said spring member.

2. A shank stiffener comprising a body narrow at the waist and graduallyincreasing in width toward the heel and forward ends thereof, a springmember parallel sided and of markedly less width than the body at itswaist, and a single wire staple penetrating said spring member and saidbody at space-d points at the waist only and holding said spring memberand saidbody from torsional or twisting movement, said spring memberbeing unattached to said body excepting by said wire staple.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specificatio ALFREDM. MOORE.

